Aviva Stadium

Aviva Stadium - Introduction

The Aviva Stadium, which
was completed in April 2010, is the home for the Republic of Ireland international
football team. Based on the site of the old Lansdowne
Road football ground, Dublin, the new stadium seats 50,000 soccer
and rugby fans. The stadium also includes a number of premium seats and
50 corporate boxes. Built for an estimated (in 2004) cost of €345
million it also acts as the home for Irish international rugby. The Aviva
Stadium project was managed by the New Stadium Limited (formerly Lansdowne
Road Stadium Development Company) - FAI
& IRFU.

First Football Matches at Aviva Stadium

The first soccer match
played at the Aviva Stadium was between an Airtricity League XI and Manchester
United on 4th August 2010. Manchester United, featuring Wayne Rooney,
John O'Shea, Michael
Owen, Dimitar Berbatov and new signing Hernadez, won easily 7-1. South
Korea's Park Ji-Sung notched the first goal ever scored at the Aviva Stadium.

The first international
football match at the Aviva was between Republic of Ireland and Argentina
on Wednesday 11th August 2010. The occasion was also marked by Irish captain
Robbie Keane winning
his 100th international cap. Unfortunately for Keane and the Irish, Ireland
lost its' inaugural match at the new ground by one goal to nil with Angel
Di Maria scoring the first ever goal at the Aviva Stadium.

The first rugby match played
at the Aviva Stadium was between a Leinster & Ulster selection and
a Connacht & Munster selection on Saturday the 7th August 2010. Leinster
& Ulster won the match 68-0. Dungannon winger Craig Gilroy created
history by scoring the first ever try at the Aviva Stadium. Leinster and
Ulster contested the first (1876) and last (2006) representative matches
at the old Lansdowne Road stadium. One very interested spectator at the
match was avid Manchester United fan David Kiberd (pictured below) on
that splendid August evening.

First Competitive Football Match at the
Aviva Stadium

The first competitive match
held at the Aviva Stadium was a Euro
2012 qualifier between Ireland and football minnows Andorra on 7th
September 2012. It was the second qualification match for the Irish in
Group B and followed a 0-1 away win against Armenia in the first round
of qualifiers. The Irish went on to qualify for the Euro
2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine.

Naming Rights for the New Stadium

In a historical departure
the naming rights of the new Lansdowne Road stadium were sold to Hibernian
Aviva insurance company. At that time Hibernian Aviva was Ireland's largest
insurance company with in excess of 1.2 million customers. In a contract
signed on 19th February 2009 the insurance company agreed to pay a reported
€44 million over a ten year period to the FAI and the IRFU. It was
also reported that the company had an option to extend the sponsorship
of Aviva Stadium for a further five years. The value of follow-on five
years had not been disclosed. The FAI committed to direct the sponsorship
money towards the grassroots of soccer in Ireland.

Aviva Stadium - Ireland's First UEFA
Elite Stadium

Aviva Stadium will become
the first soccer ground in Ireland to meet UEFA's elite stadium criteria.
Those criteria are as follows:

Minimum capacity of 30,000
- all seated

Soccer pitch
must be 105 metres in length and 68 metres in width

Soccer pitch surface must
be natural or if artificial, must be FIFA-approved

The bench for substitutes
must have a capacity of 13 players / officials

Design and Structure of the Aviva Stadium

The original Lansdowne
Road football ground was completely demolished before the construction
of the new Aviva Stadium commenced. Work on the new stadium began in earnest
in March 2007.

When completed the Aviva
Stadium will have an all seating capacity of 50,000 fans. In a nod to
Irish climatic conditions all seats will be under a single curvilinear
shaped roof that does not extend over the football pitch.

The east, west and south
stands consist of four tiers. The top and bottom tiers will contain the
majority of the soccer and rugby fans.

The North stand of the
Aviva Stadium will have a single low level tier due to the proximity of
domestic residences at that end of the ground. Ten thousand premium seats
and 1,300 corporate boxes are accommodated in the second and third tiers
of the stadium.

In order to optimise the
redevelopment the original pitch was realigned and the two pitches behind
the old Lansdowne Road ground were merged into one and reoriented. A new
access point to the existing DART station was also constructed. The new
Aviva Stadium will also include the following features:

Modern sweeping curved
architectural design, incorporating floodlighting, that is compatible
with the surrounding urban environment

Low stadium roof design
that is translucent and optimises the light available

Multiple access and exit
points including underpasses so that the DART level crossing gates
can remain closed on football match days

State of the
art player facilities including warm up rooms and treatment rooms

Improved facilities for
up to 400 journalists depending on the event being hosted

Enhanced facilities for
TV and radio coverage with optimum viewing positions

Top quality toilet facilities
for both genders

Top quality medical facilities
for players and fans

Enhanced facilities for
the disabled

Clear definition between
service areas and fan areas. Emergency or service traffic will never
need to compete with fans for access or space